Police stations should be equipped with AI-driven CCTV monitoring

The Supreme Court had earlier ordered the installation of CCTV cameras in all police stations in the country, but this has not been fully implemented. There is a situation where officers can turn off the CCTV installed in police stations. Taking note of this, the Supreme Court has directed that a system should be in place in the control room to ensure immediate alerts if any camera goes offline. The Supreme Court's observation that independent control rooms using AI technology are preferable instead of control rooms controlled by officers is of utmost importance. The court made this observation while considering a suo motu PIL regarding custodial deaths in Rajasthan and non-functioning cameras in stations.

The Supreme Court's important observation comes as news of police brutality including lock-up torture is coming out one after another in Kerala. Control rooms are needed to accurately monitor the CCTV footage in the stations. There should be no human intervention in the control rooms. The bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta pointed out that seeking the help of IITs for setting up control rooms with AI technology can be considered. The Supreme Court had ordered in 2018 to install CCTV cameras in all police stations in the country to prevent human rights violations. The court observed that the issue should be resolved with the help of AI technology, when lawyers said that even central investigation agencies like ED and CBI are not complying with the CCTV ruling.

Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court has asked the state government to provide information about the functioning of CCTV cameras in police stations. The High Court Division Bench's direction was issued on a public interest litigation filed by Congress leader V.S. Sujith from Kunnamkulam and others. Human rights in the country will be in shackles if those who are supposed to enforce the law become lawbreakers. It is the old-fashioned police mentality that only torture can prove guilt. There is no correlation between the severity of torture and the number of crimes. Crimes do not stop even in countries where there are extremely harsh punishments. However, crimes are generally decreasing in countries that are making progress through education and honest work.

The police in the country should also change with the changing times. People should feel a sense of security when they see the police, not fear. The 'thug' policemen will put people in police vehicles to manhandle them when CCTV comes to police stations. Therefore, it is essential to install CCTV cameras in police vehicles as well. Just as criminals lie to avoid punishment, police officers also make up false stories. However, since the camera does not lie, superiors and courts can take punitive action by using it as evidence. If the control of the cameras is handed over to the police, who are likely to be guilty, the very purpose of installing the cameras will be defeated. Therefore, it is best to utilise AI technology for this purpose.